Steam train returning to Attalla

Southern Railway 2-8-0 number 630 pulls into Attalla, Ala., Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012, for a service stop while en route from Chattanooga to Birmingham. The locomotive is owned by the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga and will be used March 2 on an excursion to and from Attalla.

Published: Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 6:30 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 6:32 p.m.

The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum will again offer a steam train excursion to and from Attalla to kick off its spring season, and the city will welcome the train with a street festival.

The steam train excursion, which will operate with diesel assistance, will be March 2. The city of Attalla is offering a limited number of one-way rail trips with transportation to or from Chattanooga by Adventure Bus Charter.

The train will be pulled by the same engine used for the November excursion, the ex-Southern Railways 2-8-0 No. 630 steam locomotive, which was built in 1904 and recently restored to service by the museum.

Attalla Mayor Larry Means said he was excited the Attalla excursion is the museum’s first of the year.

“We had a tremendous response from the last excursion and look forward to this one being a larger response,” he said. “I think this was a day when people could go back in time and relive the days of what was once their main transportation.”

Lisa Turner, director of the Attalla Information and Development Center, said the train had a capacity of 225 passengers in November, but the one to be used in March will hold 400.

The city is doubling the number of one-way trips it will offer and will use two buses.

The one-way option will go from Chattanooga to Attalla or Attalla to Chattanooga, with bus transportation to or from Chattanooga included.

The bus will leave Attalla at 4:30 a.m., and the train will leave Grand Junction Station, 4119 Cromwell Road in Chattanooga, at 8 a.m. EST. It will arrive in Attalla at 10:45 a.m.

The train will leave Attalla at 1 p.m., and the bus will arrive back there at 8 p.m.

Cost of a one-way trip is $60. Turner said that doesn’t include a meal, but the train has a Pullman car where refreshments will be available. To purchase tickets from the city, call 256-538-1872.

Round-trip tickets for the 174-mile excursion are available for $65 at the museum’s website, www.tvrail.com. A limited number of seats that include a meal, breakfast or lunch, are available for $85.

Anyone age 3 or older must have a ticket to ride.

The street festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Activities will include a performance by the Norfolk Southern Lawmen Band from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The band has its roots in a group of Norfolk Southern railway policemen who played at company functions in the 1950s. It performs folk, bluegrass, gospel, country and pop music at more than 200 venues a year.

There will be a car show with entries from the Cheaha Vintage Car Club, including some Model A’s, and a display by the Coosa Valley Model Railroad Club.

Contact the development center, whose office has moved to 420 Fourth St. NW, for more information.

<p>The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum will again offer a steam train excursion to and from Attalla to kick off its spring season, and the city will welcome the train with a street festival.</p><p>The steam train excursion, which will operate with diesel assistance, will be March 2. The city of Attalla is offering a limited number of one-way rail trips with transportation to or from Chattanooga by Adventure Bus Charter.</p><p>The train will be pulled by the same engine used for the November excursion, the ex-Southern Railways 2-8-0 No. 630 steam locomotive, which was built in 1904 and recently restored to service by the museum.</p><p>Attalla Mayor Larry Means said he was excited the Attalla excursion is the museum's first of the year.</p><p>“We had a tremendous response from the last excursion and look forward to this one being a larger response,” he said. “I think this was a day when people could go back in time and relive the days of what was once their main transportation.” </p><p>Lisa Turner, director of the Attalla Information and Development Center, said the train had a capacity of 225 passengers in November, but the one to be used in March will hold 400.</p><p>The city is doubling the number of one-way trips it will offer and will use two buses.</p><p>The one-way option will go from Chattanooga to Attalla or Attalla to Chattanooga, with bus transportation to or from Chattanooga included.</p><p>The bus will leave Attalla at 4:30 a.m., and the train will leave Grand Junction Station, 4119 Cromwell Road in Chattanooga, at 8 a.m. EST. It will arrive in Attalla at 10:45 a.m.</p><p>The train will leave Attalla at 1 p.m., and the bus will arrive back there at 8 p.m.</p><p>Cost of a one-way trip is $60. Turner said that doesn't include a meal, but the train has a Pullman car where refreshments will be available. To purchase tickets from the city, call 256-538-1872.</p><p>Round-trip tickets for the 174-mile excursion are available for $65 at the museum's website, www.tvrail.com. A limited number of seats that include a meal, breakfast or lunch, are available for $85.</p><p>Anyone age 3 or older must have a ticket to ride.</p><p>The street festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Activities will include a performance by the Norfolk Southern Lawmen Band from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The band has its roots in a group of Norfolk Southern railway policemen who played at company functions in the 1950s. It performs folk, bluegrass, gospel, country and pop music at more than 200 venues a year.</p><p>There will be a car show with entries from the Cheaha Vintage Car Club, including some Model A's, and a display by the Coosa Valley Model Railroad Club.</p><p>Contact the development center, whose office has moved to 420 Fourth St. NW, for more information.</p>